Wed. Night : Youth Learn About Baptism

Wed night there was a worship service in the sanctuary where we sang "Blessed be the Name of the Lord" followed up by Justin singing Saved by Grace. The kids took another step in outreach as they sponsored a child from another country. The country chosen was Haiti and they chose a boy. We asked the kids to be in prayer about stepping up to take on the role of "outreach overseer". The person/people will be responsible for making sure letters are sent to the sponsored child, help choose a Christmas gift for the child, possibly sponsor a child in the community for Christmas, and any other outreach opportunities that may come. Judy led the word as she taught about baptism and the meaning behind it, where she also illustrated baptizing Alicia Keever to give the kids a picture of what takes place during a baptism. Judy learned a new word from the kids.... "peeps" Peeps is another word for a group of friends. So, Judy taught her peeps about baptism. There were 5 kids that were asked to read a scripture passage, who were Justin, Summer, Miranda, Elizabeth, and Brady. (Zach took it away from Brady, because he wanted to read it) As Judy ended the lesson with her peeps, she passed around a sign up sheet for those individuals that would be interested in learning more about baptism. There was a great response as 10 kids signed up for these classes, which will be the next 2 Wed. after youth for about an hour. After these, the kids will be given the opportunity to take the next step to be baptized. There was a great response from the kids during prayer, as the majority came to the front to bring concerns before God, and some come forward just to be with Him. Klara plays the piano during these times of prayer each week.

Youth Mission

Some of our youth went to another church, Soul Purpose Ministries, Sunday night. They presented a drama, which shows the saving work of Jesus. Scott Frame preached on "New Beginnings." The drama and Scott's words were a powerful message.

I Know Where You Live

Sermon by John Turner
Based on Revelation 2:12-17

Nut-Shell Summary of the Revelation to John

Today, we come to the third of seven sermons drawn from Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3. The Revelation to John is not a series of revelations about end-time events. Rather, it is the unified Revelation of Jesus Christ as the Lion King , the Lamb Servant, and the Shepherd Guide of his flock. Jesus knows and cares for his churches. He redeems all creation, bringing the perfect new heaven and new earth where his faithful servants will reign with him. Even times of severe persecution cannot prevent Jesus from bringing his faithful servants to final victory.

The Message to the Pergamum Church, Where Satan’s Throne Is

The risen and exalted Christ is imparting messages through John to seven churches in Asia, what is now western Turkey. Today we view the church that was located in Pergamum. Pergamum was a strong center of countless pagan religions. It was the world’s leading center for the worship of Asclepias, the Greek god of healing, represented to this day by the snake on the physician’s staff. More to the point, Pergamum was the world’s leading center of emperor and empire worship, especially featuring temples to Caesar Augustus and to the goddess Roma. The various pagan religions of Pergamum flowed among each other and created a formidable culture for Christians to penetrate.

Hear what Jesus says to his church in this difficult location: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. Jesus speaks with the authority of the direct word of God, and he has the discernment to cut through any mixture of truth and error to straighten out and purify hearts and minds and to judge rightly any twisting of the truth.

“‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Satan’s throne most likely referred to the cult of the emperors and their empire. Jesus knows and cares about the spiritual environment in which we live. He knows what we are up against. He knows the temptations we face. He knows when we give in, and he knows when we stand firm.

Bishop Antipas, Faithful Witness/Martyr

Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Against strong and direct opposition, the church members of Pergamum have stood bravely and firmly, at the risk of their lives. Antipas was the bishop of the Pergamum church who, under the threat of death, refused to renounce Jesus. Tradition says that he was consequently roasted in a brass bull in 92 A.D. Jesus was pleased to share with Antipas his own designation as a faithful witness, a martyr for the faith. Jesus was also pleased that the church had stood with Antipas, even though in doing so they risked suffering the same fate.

Not many citizens took with ultimate seriousness the claim that the emperor was God. But if the claim was not viewed as spiritually significant, it was viewed as socially significant. Emperor worship brought significant political and commercial advantages to Pergamum, especially public works projects, and the jobs and wealth that followed them. To refuse to worship the emperor was to risk irritating Rome, thus shutting down the flow of benefits. It seemed to the general public that refusing to worship the emperor was to let one’s personal views stand in the way of the public good. From their perspective, such a lack of civic-mindedness and patriotism was not to be tolerated. But Jesus takes the opposite view. In the Revelation to John, he warns against the Roman imperial cult.

Skipping the Balaamite/Nicolaitan Cult This Week

I am going today to skip over the second issue addressed in Jesus’ letter to the Pergamum church, the issue of the Balaamite/Nicolaitan cult which we will include when we address the similar Jezebel cult at the Thyatiran church next week.

The Danger of Worshiping a Nation, Government, or Politics

My focus for the rest of this sermon will be on avoiding the dangers of worshiping a nation or a government or even the political process itself. In worship, we are declaring what we believe to be powerful, excellent, holy, of highest worth, and the source of whatever worth we have. We become like what we worship.

As Christians we worship not a What but a Who, not a force but a divine personality who has become human and has dwelt among us full of grace and truth. Our God has not remained distant and uninvolved, but has revealed exactly what we need to know in order to be transformed by degrees into his image, to be saved from our sins, to live with faith, hope, and love, to be prepared for a perfectly blessed future. No other god can do that for us. No nation or government can do that for us. Only Jesus can do that for us. He alone is worthy of our full and unchecked devotion.

There are many excellent things in God’s creation that we should appreciate, but that we should not worship. We should appreciate the rich variety of creatures and the various environments that God has provided for us, but we should not worship them. We should appreciate the diverse benefits of the social order in which God has placed us. We should pray and work for the maintenance and spreading of those benefits, but we must not worship the social order or the people who lead it or the political process that runs it. If God through the apostles told the citizens of the Roman empire to be thankful for and prayerful for the order and prosperity provided by the empire, and he did, then we who live in the twenty-first century United States of America have all that much more reason to be prayerful and thankful for our country which provides us with relatively large degrees of liberty and justice and material resources with which we may serve our God. But if God insisted that the citizens of the Roman empire resist any tendency to imply even in an empty ceremony that they might be worshiping the empire or its leaders, then we who may be more greatly tempted by the greater benefits of our country have all the more reason to clarify that we do not worship anyone or anything other than the God we know through Jesus Christ.

We need to keep clear that Jesus Christ has a unique and absolute control over our identity as Christians, and that it is to him and him alone that our ultimate loyalty lies. We need to be aware that when we gather to worship Jesus, we are one with true believers in every land, one with faithful people living under every kind of government.

Why I Can Say the Pledge

As a citizen of the United States of America, I can say the pledge of allegiance to the national flag because it includes the words, “one nation under God.” which I understand to mean that the pledge to the country is superseded by our higher allegiance to our Lord. I am able to offer my allegiance to my country without implying that I am worshiping something other than God. My baptism, in which I have died to the world, sin, self, and the devil, and come alive to God, means that, in a case of conflict between Jesus and my country, Jesus wins. We need to keep that clear. That reservation is what makes American liberty real liberty. It is not unpatriotic to put Jesus first, but it is the highest act of patriotism. Christians who put Christ first help prevent our country from giving itself over to totalitarianism. By insisting on our freedom to follow Christ above the government, we keep our government safe for real liberty.

The Dangers of Political Involvement by the Church

As important as our democratic republic is to us, it is even more important that we not idolize politics. When the church has leaped too enthusiastically into politics, it has been costly to the church. Perhaps the worst example of this was in the lead-up to World War 1. You may have heard me mention this before. The church threw itself so fully and unreservedly into the war to end all wars, the war to make the world safe for democracy, that, when the inevitable disillusionment with the fallenness of human institutions and the impotence of human worldly ideals set in, the church caught the brunt of it. The church moved from its highest point in American history prior to World War 1 to one of its lowest points after World War 1. A little more reserve, a little more restraint, a little more awareness that political processes even at their best are riddled with sin and futility, and the church would have come through that time still strong rather than discredited in much of the public eye. Whether our ideals are liberal or conservative, whether or cause is health care or abortion, we will end up disappointed in the policies that emerge from our government because our government is primarily composed of pragmatic power politicians. They wouldn’t survive if they were not. They will use us when we advance their power and discard us when we don’t. That fact won’t change.

We as the church do not exist to exercise political power. We exist to testify about Jesus Christ, to be formed in his likeness, and to do what we can to make the world better in ways appropriate to our identity as a community of faith. Our power is exercised not by the coercive arm of government, but by the voluntary associations of people of faith, working together creatively to make life better.

Democrats and Republicans and independents, liberals and conservatives, libertarians and distributists, can work together through Jesus Christ in reaching out to the children and youth of our community, in praying together and encouraging one another that we may become more like Jesus, in supporting Loaves and Fishes and community gardens, and so forth. Together we can worship Jesus Christ and seek to follow him. Together we can challenge the idolatry of our culture that government makes all the important decisions and that politics is the center of power. As individual citizens, we have the obligation to vote in ways that express our values as best we can, but we do not have to all agree about how we vote. We can agree on Christian values about things like hunger, health care, jobs, abortion, and so forth, but disagree on the role that government ought to play in advancing those values.

Let me give a specific example. Many of you volunteer for Loaves and Fishes. You believe that caring about hungry people is an important Christian value. I know that those of you who work side by side have differing opinions about what role government ought to play in helping the hungry, but you don’t let that stop you from working together. You could argue with one another about government policy with such vehemence that you would be unable to work with one another, but you don’t. Some of the things that you learn at Loaves and Fishes affect your voting, but you do not insist that your fellow workers learn the same lessons. I think Jesus is pleased.

What Jesus Came to Do

Among Jesus’ closest disciples he included one who had collected taxes for Rome and one who had participated in rebellion against Rome. He had bigger fish to catch than building a political movement for or against Rome. He came to build a community of faith that could itself offer real hope of new life with God. He kept his focus off politics and on building that community of hope. We exist as a church because he did. He would advise us to be grateful and responsible citizens in the country that supplies us with so many benefits, but he would advise us never to idolize that country or its government or its leaders or its policies or a particular political party or a specific political crusade, but to keep our eyes on representing the reign of God in our lives together. The real solutions and the real hope come from what we do together as his disciples. It is right to be grateful for living in a country where we can have this discussion without fear of persecution. It is right to be responsible citizens. But it is wrong to get sidetracked from the one thing that gives our lives eternal meaning, being disciples of Jesus Christ.

Promise for the Spiritually Pure

Jesus has a great promise for those who overcome the temptation to false worship. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’ The hidden manna is a symbolic promise to sustain the faithful people of God through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The white stone with a new name written on it probably refers to the new identity believers receive when they are baptized into Christ, and the subsequent new nature that gradually makes us more and more like Jesus. There is a happy ending for the faithful. The call in this text is to purify our worship by focusing on Jesus. If we do that, it will work out all right at last.

Youth Worship Service Oct. 21

YOUTH GROUP COVENANT

Consistency - I will give my best efforts to attend every session

Honesty - I will take risks to share truthfully about issues in my life

Confidentiality - I will support the foundation of trust in our group by not participating in gossip
And will not reveal personal information about others

Prayer- I will commit to pray for others in our group

Accountability -I will allow others to hold me accountable for growing spiritually


SCOTT’S MESSAGE ON WORSHIP

To worship we need to take our eyes off ourselves so we can focus
on God. When we go too long without worshiping God, the overwhelming
details of life begin to weigh us down and ultimately to
trap us. That’s when we begin to believe we’re too busy or too tired
to focus on God

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but
rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance
with the measure of faith God has given you.

1. What are ways that we can worship?
*Praying (Psalm 95:6)
*Hearing the Word (John 17:17; Deuteronomy 31:11)
*Giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
*Baptizing (Romans 6:3-4)
*Meditating and being silent (Habakkuk 2:20) we actually took a minute of silence and the kids said they didn't like it
*Celebrating the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
*Singing (Ephesians 5:19)
*Celebrating the arts (Exodus 35:30-36:7)

2. What does it mean to offer your body
as a spiritual act of worship?

3. What are some signs that you’re being
transformed by the renewing of your mind?

4. Worshiping God leads to renewal, which leads to
transformation. According to this passage, what
follows transformation?

5. Would you consider yourself to be a discerning
person (meaning that you regularly know the will
of God)? Explain why you think so.

6. How can a better understanding of God’s
mercy improve your worship of him?

Children and Youth News

During the fellowship time children and youth enjoy the food. Andrew particularly likes the donuts! Eion is one of the children who like to serve by washing the dishes. It’s wonderful to have more children and youth as part of the church family gathered on Sunday mornings.

Josie and Brandon come on Wednesday nights, and are now coming for Sunday School and worship on Sunday morning.

Every seat in the Youth Room was filled Sunday morning for the Youth Sunday School class, taught by Eddie Keever.
Eddie led the middle school and high school youth in thinking about what it means that God is always with you. It means that you have God’s undivided attention throughout your life. You are never alone. God speaks to you often, and you need to learn to interpret what’s happening in you and around you so that you can understand what God is saying. When you choose to do something destructive, you are taking God with you. No decision you make will affect just you. You decide where you will take God next.

And so to bed...

Our Community Garden has looked like an unmade bed the last few weeks. Fear not, fall is the period of time when gardeners are as busy as bees turning dirt, planting cover crops, preparing beds for spring, and otherwise daydreaming about next season.



Preparation includes covering some of the beds with black plastic as a weed control strategy while a few of the other gardeners have planted oats to both control weeds and enrich the soil. Both strategies look awfully messy just now, but the end result--fewer weeds!--is well worth a bit of unsightliness.



Among the tasks that never quite got finished was putting a coat of white wash of the old cross at the far end of the garden. If we get a warm day soon we may get to it--otherwise, it will need to wait for spring. In any case, the Community Gardeners have lots of plans for making the garden a pleasant place to spend time in next year as well as a place of production and growth.

Even now, though we're in the last minutes of the gardening season, spots of beauty and inspiration remain; these nasturtiums, resting at the end of the Loaves and Fishes bed, remind us how bountiful and generous was our first-year garden. We are confident of even more blessing nest year!

Our Community Gardeners planted 14 Duke variety highbush blueberry plants on the first Saturday of October. These plants will grow to a height of 4 feet and will form a pretty hedge around the perimeter on the west side of the garden. Because blueberries are a perennial plant they can be taken as evidence that the Community Gardeners have faith that the garden will be perennial and a place over the coming years of our commitment to exploring and celebrating God's gift of the earth to us.

Youth News

Scott and Amanda Frame Share Exciting News from Wednesday Night, Oct. 13:

Wednesday night was great. God is always at work, but sometimes it's more obvious than others. Kids are bringing kids who are bringing kids. Praise GOD!
We began as always with food, fun, and friends, just hanging out with one another. We are so grateful for the adult volunteers who work behind the scenes to provide our meals.
We went into the sanctuary for our second Youth Worship Service. A newcomer to our group named Justin played guitar to a Christian remix called “Saved by Grace”. We see In Justin a lot of musical talents that could be very beneficial to the ministry. We have several kids with musical ability, and we hope they will provide the music leadership for this service. Scott brought the message (an outline of the message is at the end of this post).

The kids are very receptive to God’s Spirit. They do not seem to be ashamed or embarrassed to step out in faith. They want Jesus and more of Him. When Scott offered the invitation to make a decision for Christ or come forward to pray, there were so many youth that came forward that you couldn’t squeeze another body at the front. Also, many youth prayed together in their seats. One youth gave his life to Christ. That makes 2 since the beginning of the school year. Praise God!! Several youth texted us later to thank us for being there for them.

Overall, we could not have asked for anything more. God is faithful and wonderful. We are so excited to see our youth grow in prayer and worship.

OUTLINE OF SCOTT'S MESSAGE, "A FRESH START"

IDENTIFY THE PAIN Recognize that we all are hurt or wounded and we need to know where it comes from
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord . . . (Isaiah 6:1)
WHY should I change?

IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD realize that if God is not at the center of our life something else will be. Does it have to power to give you a fresh start?
. . . I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:1).
WHO is my God?

REVEAL THE TRUTH ABOUT MYSELF Spiritual honesty
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips . . .”
(Isaiah 6:5).
WHERE is my heart?

RELEASE THE PAST We are forgiven so lets forgive ourselves
With it, he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7 NIV).
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them . . . And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone (Psalm 32:5 NLT).

He forgives all my sins . . . (Psalm 103:3 ).
WHAT am I holding on to?

SAY “YES” TO GOD the time is now!!!
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8 )
WHEN will I get started?

Scott would like to credit Doug Fields, Youth Minister of Saddleback Church, for some of the ideas in this sermon.

I Know Your Hardships

I KNOW YOUR HARDSHIPS
Sermon by Judy Turner, Oct. 11, 2009
Based on Revelation 2:8-11

The Revelation Was Given to Encourage the Church

Last week John started a series of sermons from the Revelation to John, Chapters 2 and 3. The Revelation opens with Jesus standing among seven churches in Asia, what is now western Turkey. These seven churches represent all the churches of Jesus in all times and places. Today we look at Revelation 2:8-10 and hear Jesus’ words spoken to His followers in a city called Smyrna. The Christians in Smyra are having a really hard time. Jesus reveals to John what He wants to say to this struggling church to encourage them in their suffering. As we said last week, the Revelation was given not to tell us exactly what will happen at the end of the world, or when, but to show us that Jesus is in charge and He is working in His church in all times and places to accomplish His purpose. The Revelation is to encourage us, in the midst of difficulties and evil in a broken world, to know it’s all going to turn out according to God’s wonderful plan. In the end, Jesus’ faithful servants will reign with him forever in a perfected universe. Revelation was not given so we would devote ourselves to trying to crack the “secret code” of its symbols, figuring out timelines or end-times scenarios. It was given so we can live faithfully and courageously for Jesus in our time, here and now! Even as we suffer.

Jesus’ Message to Us When We Suffer
What does Jesus say to the church in all times and places when we suffer?
Revelation 2:8b-11
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty- yet you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

False Teaching in Our Time
There is a false teaching we deal with in our time. Some very popular and prosperous preachers are teaching today that if as Christians we have enough faith, we will not suffer in any way. If we just follow their teaching (based on some scripture passages pulled out of context), if we just muster enough faith, we will be healthy, prosperous, and won’t have any problems. People like that teaching because it seems to put us in control and insure the good life we want. People flock to preachers and churches that teach the “prosperity gospel” or “name it and claim it” faith. People are also hurt by that teaching, because often life doesn’t work that way. Very devoted Christians suffer illness, struggle financially, have family problems, all kinds of problems. And their suffering is compounded by the false belief that it’s all their fault. Somehow they didn’t have enough faith. Sometimes they feel judged by their Christian friends who are into the “name it and claim it” teaching. Sometimes they feel abandoned in their suffering, and even turn against God.
What is true about suffering?
1. Sometimes we do suffer because of sin in our lives. We make choices contrary to the principles of God’s word and we are going to suffer consequences. But even then, God doesn’t give up on us. When we repent, God forgives and is there to help us as we struggle with those consequences and helps us establish new patterns and rebuild our lives.
2. But often suffering comes not because of anything we’ve done, but simply because we live in a fallen world. We suffer sickness, aging, death; we suffer from the bad choices of others. But God has promised to work for our good even in this suffering. So we’re told in scripture that in the midst of suffering we can rejoice! God is refining us, shaping our character, helping us become more like Jesus as we trust Him through our suffering.
3. Sometimes we suffer because we are faithfully following Jesus in a world that is still hostile to Him. As He suffered, so we suffer. And count it a privilege.

Suffering of the Christians in Smyrna

We need to know a couple of things about Smyrna at the time this was written. It was a prosperous city with an excellent harbor and beautiful civic facilities. It was a very patriotic city; it was unusually loyal to the Roman Empire. It was the law in Smyrna to worship the Roman Emperor. Christians had a problem with that law. They didn’t worship the emperor. They worshipped Jesus as Lord. The Jews were the only group who were excluded from the law of emperor worship. Now, as long as Christians were seen as Jews, they could be excluded from emperor worship. But the Jewish community in Smyrna was antagonistic to the Christians and made sure the Roman officials knew that Christians were not part of their synagogue and that they should be prosecuted for violating the law. In the city of Smyrna, where it would be the easy way to be “closet Christians”, Jesus’ followers were boldly giving witness to Jesus. In an environment where compromise with worldly ways and false worship would be the safe way to go, they courageously said “no” to compromise. They were suffering because they were faithful to their Lord.

Our Hardships

We of Christ’s body here in Berryville Arkansas, what are our hardships? How are we tempted to “go under the radar”, to be “closet Christians”, to compromise?
I wasn’t aware until recently how hard it is for Christian young people in this community. Talk to a teenager who goes to Berryville High about what it’s like if the other kids know you are a Christian. You may hear that Christians are looked down on and ridiculed. Some of us are in work environments where if we talk about Jesus, we are reprimanded, or if we refuse to be dishonest, we are criticized. Some of us fear we will be shunned by friends and colleagues if we refuse their ways and values, or if we are too obviously Christian. Going under the radar, compromise is tempting.
And right now, our church is going through some growing pains. God is at work here. We are feeling anxiety about changes. We are feeling the stress of trying to do a lot of ministry with a few workers. We talking big plans for the future, but we don’t see how we’re going to get there. We are seeing prayers answered in some amazing, powerful ways, but we are also experiencing the attacks of the evil one who does not want this church to move forward. The easy way would be to just go back to the way things were, not to dream big dreams for God. Not to try doing more to make His love real for the people in our community. Not to work through the irritations and hurts we experience with each other. The easy way would be to stop believing that God has a great plan for our future together, to drop out, to give up, to say “this is just too hard, Jesus.”

What Jesus Says to Us in Our Hardship

Bible scholar John Stott identifies in these words of Jesus 7 truths about himself:
1. He is eternal
He is the “first and last” The one we follow was there before the creation of the world, and will have the last word.
2. He is victorious
We live in the power of the One “who died and came to life again”. He has already defeated everything that comes against us. He has defeated even death itself. So we have nothing to fear.
3. He is all-knowing
He says, “I know your afflictions”. In our struggles, in our suffering it makes all the difference to know that Jesus knows. Jesus cares. Jesus is with us.
Did you see the movie, “Prince Caspian?” There is a scene from that movie I think about when I am suffering affliction and feel under attack. The scene is toward the end, where the armies of Aslan, the lion who represents Jesus, have been attacked by the evil forces trying to destroy all who follow Aslan. It looks hopeless. The forces of Aslan are outnumbered. The battle will soon be lost. They can’t hold out much longer. Their only hope is if Aslan will show up. The littlest girl, Lucy, who has never lost faith in Aslan, courageously goes out to find him. When she finds him, he responds to her cry for help. The tide of the battle turns. Then we see the evil forces with all their weapons retreating across a bridge. There stands little Lucy all alone blocking their way at the end of the bridge. A little girl, against the evil armies. But she has a confident smile on her face as she pulls out her little knife. Then we see why she is so confident as Aslan, the mighty lion steps out of the woods and comes by her side. He roars and the waters rise, and evil is defeated.
When we faithfully follow Jesus, we are not alone. He sees. He knows. He
is by our side. He has the power to defeat anything and everything that
comes against us.
4. He knows the Truth
Jesus sees from an eternal perspective. “I know your poverty, yet you are rich!” The world can look at us as poor, but if we are growing in God’s love and wisdom and power, then Jesus sees us as rich. We possess what ultimately matters.
5. He is in control
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.” The time of suffering will be limited. Jesus allows his followers to be tested, but not beyond our power to endure. Jesus says to evil, “This far, and no farther; this long and no longer.”
6. He is purposeful
Our adversary tests us in order to destroy. God allows us to be tested in order to refine and strengthen us. (James 1:2-4 and I Peter 1:7). Look beyond the trial to its purpose.
7. He is generous
Jesus says, “Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Jesus promises the most wonderful reward for those who endure, persevere, run the race faithfully. It is God’s nature to be generous with everyone. We can know His generosity in this life, and throughout eternity. But when we are willing to really commit to being a disciple, when we want with our whole hearts to love and serve Jesus, we will be drawn into the inner circle of his close friends. In that inner circle of fellowship we share His sufferings, but we also share His joy, peace and power. And we will receive the greatest blessings, which only His trusted friends know.
A Christian was dying, and his family was gathered around. This man had devoted his life to serving Jesus, and people, even his family, saw so many Christ-like qualities in him. His family was crying and grieving. The dying man suddenly looked up, was absolutely radiant, and said, “Don’t be sad. This is my coronation day!”

Don’t you want to know that after you take your last breath, the next hand you’ll feel in yours is the hand of Jesus? The next face you’ll see is the face of your Lord? And the next voice you hear will be the voice of Jesus saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?
Jesus says to us now, “Be faithful even unto death. And I will give you the crown of life.”

I Know Your Hard Work

Sermon by John Turner
October 4, 2009
Based on Revelation 2:1-7

The Revelation to John Deserves Better Treatment

Over a seven week period beginning today, Judy and I will be preaching from the Revelation to John, Chapters 2 and 3. If a series of sermons based on the Revelation to John makes you shift a bit uneasily, if you have negative associations with self-appointed and self-advertised Revelation interpreters who use its imagery in a careless manner to support their personal end-times scenarios and their not very Christian-sounding political views, let me assure you that Judy and I share your concern. We are not going there. The book deserves better.

I want us to practice saying the name of the book. It is NOT “Revelations” or even “The Revelations of John,” which would imply that it is a series of separate bits of information about coming events that John revealed. Rather, the proper short version of the title is, “The Revelation to John.” Say it with me: “The Revelation to John.”

There is a longer title that consists of the first two verses of the book. Let me offer a very literal translation of it: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his bond-servants what must happen soon. He communicated it by sending his angel to his bond-servant John, who then testified to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, to everything he saw.” You can see why we shorten that to “The Revelation to John” but note that it really starts out, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is of Jesus in two senses: it comes from Jesus, and it is about Jesus and his church.

Revelation and Time

Everything that John saw is designed to show that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, Lord of history and Lord of his church, and that he will be ultimately victorious on behalf of his faithful servants. When the Bible says that an event is coming soon or suddenly, it means that it could come without further warning and that no time is eliminated as a moment in which the event might occur. While Jesus’ Lordship will have an ultimate culmination when he comes to bring all things to final judgment, no generation with the eyes to see is left without evidence that Jesus’ Lordship has been already been set in motion: Jesus reigns even now. As for when the final fulfillment of Jesus’ Lordship will come, it is as Peter wrote: “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” Peter does not give us the time of the end. Neither do Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Jude, nor the unnamed writer of Hebrews. And if we rip a bunch of passages out of context from the Old Testament to try to establish a date, we are probably going to “prove” whatever we set out to prove, and it will have nothing to do with the truth. As Jesus himself said, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So when a so-called expert claims to have found the secrets of the end-times, you need to ask, “Why do they think they can put together an end-times scenario that Jesus and the apostles couldn’t?” My conclusion is that these so-called experts are either ignorant or arrogant or both, and that we are better off not listening to them. Stick with Jesus and the apostles, and you will not be drawn off track.

The Message of the Revelation

The message from Jesus that John conveys is that Jesus is in charge of history and that he is working through his faithful church on earth to accomplish his purposes, even when that church is suffering persecution and martyrdom, even when it sometimes falls short of its calling. In the end, his faithful servants will be welcomed to sit down for the heavenly Messiah’s banquet and to enter the perfected new heaven and new earth. Jesus through John is encouraging us to live now with that awareness so that we will be faithful through tough times to testify boldly to his Lordship.

Jesus Knows His Churches

In the meantime, before the end comes, the Revelation shows Jesus standing among seven churches in Asia. Asia here is not the big continent dominated by China and India, but the small Roman province in what is now western Turkey. In Revelation, seven is a symbolic number for wholeness. These seven churches represent all the churches of Jesus Christ in all times and places. We are to read this book as telling us that Jesus knows all churches, including the church with which we are gathered to worship him this morning. Jesus knows First Christian Church of Berryville, Arkansas. He knows our strengths; he knows our weaknesses; he knows what we need to do to reach our potential in glorifying his name in Carroll County, Arkansas. He will not forget his faithful servants who gather here to worship and to serve him. He will not fail to hold us accountable for our privilege to represent him. Jesus knows what we are going through. He knows the trials and temptations that we are facing. He knows the spiritual conditions of our hearts. He knows when we are only giving lip service, and he knows when we are consecrating our lives to his service, living for the praise of his glory. He knows, and he cares.

Jesus’ Message to His Church in Ephesus

Let’s read and comment on Revelation 2, verses 1-7: “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands (In other words, Jesus knows his churches and is taking care of them). “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary (In other words, Jesus knows the good things we have done). But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (In other words, Jesus knows our shortcomings, knows how they fit with our strengths, and insists that we must heed his warnings and repent of our shortcomings if we wish to maintain our status as his church). To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (In other words, Jesus will reward his faithful servants with the blessings of a perfect eternal life).’

Jesus Knows Their Strengths

Jesus knows the hard work, the good deeds, the perseverance, the zeal for truth, that the Ephesian church members have displayed. He commends them for not giving in to the current cultural temptation, a movement of Nicolaitans who would have led them into some sort of spiritual error if the Ephesian Christians had not vigorously resisted the temptation. We will talk more about the Nicolaitans in Week Three of this series, but for now it is enough to say that Jesus’ praising of the Ephesians for resisting the Nicolaitans tells us that it is important to resist spiritual error.

Jesus Knows Their Weaknesses

The Ephesian zeal for good works and orthodox faith has not been without its costs. Jesus accuses them of having forsaken and fallen away from their first love. Whether their first love refers to their love of the Lord or their love for one another is not clear. It does not matter. For Jesus and John, loving God and loving humanity are inseparable because God is love. That is, God’s character is most fully expressed in the self-giving love he has displayed through Jesus Christ, and one cannot truly love God without taking on God’s love for others. Somehow the Ephesian church members have let their commitment for doing good and standing against error separate them from the heart of their faith, their love for a loving God and for God’s beloved children.

Jesus Instructs Them in How to Fix Things

John counsels the Ephesian Christians to do two things: (1) “Remember the height from which you have fallen.” He wants them to recall the love for God and for one another which once elevated their life together beyond the struggles of an institutional church striving to survive. He wants them to know that there is more to their life as a church than struggle. Indeed, the struggle is without point unless it is motivated by, expressed with, and directed toward love of God and neighbor. (2) “Repent, and do the things you did at first.” There is no problem with the Ephesians not being busy enough. The Lord knows that they work hard enough. But some works of love they used to do have been neglected, being replaced by works of institutional struggle. They need to return to works of love. Remember and return, he advises them. Their identity as church is not as an institution, but as a community in relational covenant with God and one another. That’s important. Let me repeat it: Their identity as church is not as an institution, but as a community in relational covenant with God and one another.

The Potential Consequences Depend on Their Response

If they do not heed this advice, their church will be taken from them. If they do heed this advice, they will eat from the tree of life in the paradise or garden of God.

Jesus Knows and Cares About First Christian Church of Berryville

What does this letter tell us about the relationship of the Lord to his church here in Berryville? We are reminded that Jesus knows what we are doing as his church, that he cares deeply, that he is involved, that he holds us accountable for the quality of our faith, love, and service, that he holds out warnings and promises for us according to how we carry out our callings.

Our Hard Work and Faith

Like the Ephesian Church, we at First Christian Church value hard work and faith. While hard work will not save us, we are reminded that the Lord does value our hard work. The work of serving Christ is an appropriate expression of our faith and love. Here at First Christian, we have a long history of working hard in acts of service. Jesus knows that and is glad to see that quality. Jesus is also glad to see our faith. We are saved by God’s grace, but we must receive the saving grace through our faith. It is essential. And we must preserve the purity of our faith. Our elders have been working on stating the basics of our common faith, and, by and by, probably sometime during this next year, you will see the results of their labors. They are not trying to write a complicated and detailed book of doctrine, but to state what is essential to keeping our church’s teaching pure and true. I believe that their efforts please Jesus.

Jesus Asks Us to Get a Regular Heart Check-Up

But somewhere along the way, the Ephesian church lost what Jesus values even more in his churches. Our faith is in the love that God has revealed for his lost children through Jesus Christ. Our hard work is to express that love. The love is the content of the truth, and the truth must be expressed in love or it is no longer the truth. There are times that our love must be tough love, but it must still be love. We need to make sure that the love for God and neighbor are there at all times.

The first thing that our heart check-up must determine is that we love God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We love God because God first loved us. The second thing that our heart check-up must determine is that, in loving God, we take on God’s love for humanity. Loving God with our total beings and above all else, we open ourselves to be expressions of God’s heart. If we have fallen from our first love for God and neighbor, Jesus commands us to remember, to repent, to turn again, to that first love.

Jesus’ Church Is an Expanding Network of Loving Relationships

In their book Total Church, co-authors Tim Chester and Steve Timmis say that people need to experience church neither as a building they enter nor as an event they attend, but as a network of relationships that touches every part of their lives and faith. This phrase also calls for repetition: People need to experience church neither as a building they enter nor as an event they attend, but as a network of loving relationships that touches every part of their lives and faith.

What Jesus wants us to know is that, when we say we are building a community of hope through Jesus Christ, he takes the “community” part very seriously. It is as we begin sharing our lives more deeply, constantly helping one another along in our journeys toward our future glory in Christ, that we become agents of real hope for the world. Our work, our faith, our love for God, and our love for neighbor begin to add up to hope for others when we are living them out in real daily relationships with other believers and with seekers.

I am not talking about making our lives busier and harder. I am talking about making our lives more fruitful, sometimes actually easier and more satisfying, by the ways we pray, study, work, care, and share together.

We live in a culture that seeks to make us isolated consumers, running on a hamster wheel of just keeping up. Jesus stands among us to challenge that pattern and to make us a real community of hope for more satisfying and productive living that points ahead to the blessings of the new heaven and new earth where his reigning love and power are total.

Let’s be a community of hope in Jesus’ present care for us and in the future realm that He has prepared for us.

FCC's Dave Buttgen: VIP

As many of you may know, fellow member Dave Buttgen is currently working in Malawi, Africa, as a Volunteer International Professional (VIP) helping local fish farmers learn how to build high efficiency drying ovens that will be used to dry soybeans into fish pellets.

Dave, seen above, is volunteering in the Zomba River Basin area of southern Malawi, which is home to some of the poorest people in the world. Annual income is only about $111.00 per year and the incidence of grave disease such as TB, HIV, and River Blindness is very prevalent.

Dave is helping local metal workers and farmers build the drying ovens from scratch and using only locally available materials and tools. Too often, organizations have provided people with expensive machinery and technology that they lacked the skills and money to properly maintain after the helping organization left the area. Dave's design for the oven--and also for a wind turbine that will aerate fish ponds--assures that the people who use them can also build and maintain them long after Dave leaves the country.

Dave will be retuning home to Berryville on Saturday, October 10th. Our prayers go out to Dave for his safe return.

God's Call - Our Moment Sermon

Sermon by Judy Turner

Luke 5:1-11

Our Fear That Nothing Will Change

As I meditated on this passage, the words that most invited my attention were Jesus’ words to Simon after the miraculous catch of fish, “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men.” Jesus knows their fears. First, He saw the fear of the discouraged fishermen that nothing would change. They had fished all night without results. As they thought about the next night, would they have the same frustrating experience? And the next night? What would that mean for their livelihood? How would they pay their bills? And He knows our fears. Sometimes we are discouraged with the way things are and fear they will never change: will the tedium and frustrations of our jobs continue forever? Will our marriage and family relationships ever get better, or will it be the same struggle and stress day after day? Will classes at school always seem boring and irrelevant, and will we always be stuck with the same social group at school, or always feel like we don’t have friends? Sometimes we are discouraged and fear things will never change.

Our Fear That Things Will Change!

Oh, but we humans are strange creatures. When God starts moving in our lives and we see new possibilities opening up, and our comfortable world is about to be rocked, then we get afraid that things will change. At least our routines, frustrating, discouraging, or even painful though they may be, are familiar. But when God starts moving and things are shifting around us, we become afraid that things WILL change. Have I told you the story of the Christian who visited every week in the nursing home? Bill was faithful, had been going to the nursing home for years. He would talk with people and offer prayer. He’d never really seen anything happen in response to his prayer for people, and didn’t really expect to see anything happen. But truthfully, he was feeling a little bored with this routine of going to the nursing home, wondered if it really meant much to anybody, afraid he couldn’t just keep going through the motions week after week. One day, he actually prayed before he went that his visit would be different this time. He went to Ruth’s room. “How are you feeling today?” “Oh, Bill, I just feel so bad today. I have such pain in my legs I haven’t been able to get out of bed.” Bill took her hand and prayed, “Lord, relieve the pain in Ruth’s leg and strengthen her so she can get out of bed.” Ruth got this amazed look on her face and said, “I can’t believe it! I don’t feel the pain any more. “ Next thing Bill knew, Ruth had jumped out of bed and was practically dancing around the room. Well, Bill became uncomfortable, even afraid. Something was going on here he hadn’t expected and didn’t know how to deal with. He got out of there as quickly as he could, hurried to his car, got in, shut the door, put his head on the steering wheel and said, “God, don’t ever do that to me again!”

When God Starts Moving, Our Worlds Change!

We’re afraid things will never change. When God starts moving and things start shifting, we may become even more afraid that things will change! We understand why Simon was afraid. He had experienced a mind-blowing revelation of how big God is, yet how close and real and involved God is in his life.
His eyes were opened to who this man Jesus really was – The holy, magnificent, all-powerful God. Everything was at His command. Jesus had only to say the word- and all those fish jumped into the nets. In the presence of the Holy, Simon felt undone, he felt so unworthy. His automatic response was to say, “Get away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” I see an amused smile on Jesus’ face as He looks at the fear-filled Simon and I hear love in his voice as he says, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” In a moment, Simon’s world has changed. Jesus has invited Simon to come and learn how to do life from Him, to be His disciple, to share in His work to get to know God intimately. Was Simon still afraid, even after Jesus told him not to be? You may have a different opinion, but I believe Simon was still very human, which means to feel some fear of the unknown. What would life be like now, as he followed Jesus? He probably had no idea. But Simon had Jesus’ word that his life would have a new purpose- he would be “catching men” – helping people know God and enter “the Kingdom of God”, that whole new realm of experience where a good and loving God is in charge!

John and I had dreamed and prayed for so many years of a ministry of mentoring people who want to grow in their faith and serve Christ more effectively. We were afraid it would never be possible. Then came the miraculous answer- the offer of a friendly loan to purchase a place and get started! That was something only God could do, and we knew it. I spent a couple of days rejoicing over answered prayer. Then I really felt scared. Now that the door had opened, we had to walk through it. We had to give up secure income, sell a house, move, start a ministry from scratch. What would that be like? I had no idea, and I felt afraid. I’d preached for years that although we feel fear, we can choose to move forward in faith. Then God gives us the strength and courage to walk into the unknown, knowing that He is in charge and He will bring about what is best for us.
Those situations you’ve been praying about in your life- when God moves, you will probably feel afraid. But what will you choose to do? Will you make the necessary changes in your life to move forward with God?

Will We Choose To Move Forward With God?

As a congregation we are seeking God’s direction for our future. Our Mission/Vision Team and Prayer Team are leading the process. Many of you have participated in Coffee and Conversation Gatherings and responded to a draft of a Mission Statement, a Vision Statement, a Plan. You have shared your ideas and made valuable contributions. Today after worship we have the final conversation.
The vision of our congregation becoming a significant force for positive change in our community as we help people of all ages come to Christ, grow in Christ-likeness, and serve Christ in practical ways. We Build a Community of Hope in Jesus Christ as we strengthen families, expand children and youth ministries, find ways of living that are less stressful and free time and energy for serving Christ. Then we form and support mission teams of people in our congregation who respond to God’s call to make a difference- some examples of what these mission teams might do: provide repair service for homes of elderly people, build a hospital in Mexico, care for creation, work for better livelihoods for more people in Carroll County. And the vision includes growth – more people and more resources to be able to really make a difference and build this community of hope. How have we responded to this vision of where God may be leading our congregation? One faithful and honest person put into words what I think people (including John and me) are feeling. She said, “I feel both excited and scared.”

The Process of Moving Forward With God

Henry Blackaby who wrote “Experiencing God says, “God is always at work around you. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.” When God is in a vision for the future, the vision is God-sized, something only God can do. Of course, we wonder how it can possibly come to be, we feel fear. We can choose to act on our fears and retreat into the safety of the known, or just plant our feet in the way we’ve always done things and say, “I’m not going anywhere.” Or we can act in faith, despite our fears and say, “God, I’m moving with you, whatever it takes. What is the next step you want me to take? Help me adjust my life to what you’re doing so you can work through me. I don’t want to miss your moment.

What We Really Believe About God

Blackaby says, “ When the invitation from God comes, when you’re in the crisis of belief, what you do next reveals what you really believe about God. When the invitation from God comes, when you’re in the crisis of belief, what you do next reveals what you really believe about God.”

A guest in a home noticed a very old gun, a musket, displayed over the fireplace. He asked his hostess about the gun. She proudly said, “It belonged to my great, great, great grandfather who lived during the time of the American Revolution.
My ancestor believed in freedom and always kept his musket ready. “Oh, said the guest. He must have fought in some important battles.” “Actually no” said the woman. He never fired the gun. He always kept it ready and he believed in freedom, but he didn’t think much of General Washington’s rebellion.”
He missed the moment. When the time came to act on what he had been hoping for, maybe praying for, he didn’t really think much of the leader. So he chose to just stay right where he was. He missed the opportunity to take part in one of the most important events in human history.

Simon Peter made a different choice. When the moment came, and Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men.” Simon and his companions showed what they really thought of Jesus and His ability to guide them, provide for them, give their lives significance. They demonstrated faith in action. They left everything – boats, nets, fish, families – and followed Jesus